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Tabs. Trim Tabs Trim tabs are small movable surfaces that attach to the trailing edge of flight controls. These tabs can be controlled from the flight deck, and their purpose is to create an aerodynamic force that keeps the flight control in a deflected position. Trim tabs can be installed on any of the primary flight controls. A very common flight control to find fitted with a trim tab is the elevator. In order to be stable in flight, most airplanes have the center of gravity located forward of the center of lift on the wing. This causes a nose heavy condition, which needs to be balanced out by having the elevator deflect upwards and create a downward force. To relieve the pilot of the need to hold back pressure on the control wheel, a trim tab on the elevator can be adjusted to hold the elevator in a slightly deflected position. An elevator trim tab for a Cessna 182 is shown in Figure 3-71.
Anti-servo Tab Some airplanes, like a Piper Cherokee Arrow, do not have a fixed horizontal stabilizer and movable elevator. The Cherokee uses a moving horizontal surface known as a stabilator. Because of the location of the pivot point for this movable surface, it has a tendency to be extremely sensitive to pilot input. To reduce the sensitivity, a full length anti-servo tab is installed on the trailing edge of the stabilator. As the trailing edge of the stabilator moves down, the anti-servo tab moves down and creates a force trying to raise the trailing edge. With this force acting against the movement of the stabilator, it reduces the sensitivity to pilot input. The anti-servo tab on a Piper Cherokee Arrow is shown in Figure 3-70. Balance Tab On some airplanes, the force needed to move the flight controls can be excessive. In these cases, a balance tab can be used to generate a force that assists in the movement of the flight control. Just the opposite of anti-servo tabs, balance tabs move in the opposite direction of the flight control’s trailing edge, providing a force that helps the flight control move. Servo Tab On large airplanes, because the force needed to move the flight controls is beyond the capability of the pilot, hydraulic actuators are used to provide the necessary force. In the event of a hydraulic system malfunction or failure, some of these airplanes have servo tabs on the trailing edge of the primary flight controls. When the control wheel is pulled back in an attempt to move the elevator, the servo tab moves and creates enough aerodynamic force to move the elevator. The servo tab is acting like a balance tab, but rather than assisting the normal force that moves the elevator, it becomes the sole force that makes the elevator move. Like the balance tab, the servo tab moves in the opposite direction of the flight control’s trailing edge. The Boeing 727 has servo tabs that back up the hydraulic system in the event of a failure. During normal flight, the servo tabs act like balance tabs. [Figure 3-73]
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